Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia

Abstract Purpose Acute leukemia is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in children. In addition to genetic factors, exposure to chemicals also increases its risk. Considering the increasing incidence of pediatric acute leukemia and limited experience on the underlying role of environmental pollut...

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Main Authors: Pardis Nematollahi, Shekoofe Enayati, Karim Ebrahimpour, Saeed Yousefian, Alireza Moafi, Afshin Ebrahimi, Mohammad Mehdi Amin, Sina Arabi, Roya Kelishadi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Public Health
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00809-x
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author Pardis Nematollahi
Shekoofe Enayati
Karim Ebrahimpour
Saeed Yousefian
Alireza Moafi
Afshin Ebrahimi
Mohammad Mehdi Amin
Sina Arabi
Roya Kelishadi
author_facet Pardis Nematollahi
Shekoofe Enayati
Karim Ebrahimpour
Saeed Yousefian
Alireza Moafi
Afshin Ebrahimi
Mohammad Mehdi Amin
Sina Arabi
Roya Kelishadi
author_sort Pardis Nematollahi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Purpose Acute leukemia is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in children. In addition to genetic factors, exposure to chemicals also increases its risk. Considering the increasing incidence of pediatric acute leukemia and limited experience on the underlying role of environmental pollutants, this study aims to assess the relationship between exposure to benzene and organochlorine compounds and pediatric acute leukemia. Methods Participants of this cross-sectional study were children aged under 15 years diagnosed as new cases of acute leukemia and healthy children. Urine samples were collected for measurement of benzene and organochlorine pesticides metabolites by using liquid-liquid microextraction techniques. Results This study comprised 496 participants including 195 (39.31%) children in the leukemia group and 301 (60.69%) in the healthy group. The majority of participants were male (63.1%). The leukemia and healthy groups differed significantly in their urinary levels of α- and β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (P = 0.001), endosulfan (P = 0.002), aldrin (P = 0.002), and heptachlor (P = 0.001) after the adjustment of urine creatinine. Furthermore, adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated levels of β-BHC was significantly associated with an increased risk of acute leukemia. Conclusion This study provides findings that warrant further investigation into the significant association between exposure to benzene and organochlorine and acute leukemia in children. Further research with a larger sample size and a prospective design is necessary to obtain more conclusive results. Environmental policies for reducing the exposure to chemicals should be considered as a health priority.
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spelling doaj-art-04b2604013fd454c93bdbf87f22e82de2025-08-20T03:04:14ZengSpringerDiscover Public Health3005-07742025-07-0122111010.1186/s12982-025-00809-xAssociation of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemiaPardis Nematollahi0Shekoofe Enayati1Karim Ebrahimpour2Saeed Yousefian3Alireza Moafi4Afshin Ebrahimi5Mohammad Mehdi Amin6Sina Arabi7Roya Kelishadi8Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesResident of Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesChild Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesAbstract Purpose Acute leukemia is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in children. In addition to genetic factors, exposure to chemicals also increases its risk. Considering the increasing incidence of pediatric acute leukemia and limited experience on the underlying role of environmental pollutants, this study aims to assess the relationship between exposure to benzene and organochlorine compounds and pediatric acute leukemia. Methods Participants of this cross-sectional study were children aged under 15 years diagnosed as new cases of acute leukemia and healthy children. Urine samples were collected for measurement of benzene and organochlorine pesticides metabolites by using liquid-liquid microextraction techniques. Results This study comprised 496 participants including 195 (39.31%) children in the leukemia group and 301 (60.69%) in the healthy group. The majority of participants were male (63.1%). The leukemia and healthy groups differed significantly in their urinary levels of α- and β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (P = 0.001), endosulfan (P = 0.002), aldrin (P = 0.002), and heptachlor (P = 0.001) after the adjustment of urine creatinine. Furthermore, adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated levels of β-BHC was significantly associated with an increased risk of acute leukemia. Conclusion This study provides findings that warrant further investigation into the significant association between exposure to benzene and organochlorine and acute leukemia in children. Further research with a larger sample size and a prospective design is necessary to obtain more conclusive results. Environmental policies for reducing the exposure to chemicals should be considered as a health priority.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00809-xLeukemiaBenzeneOrganochlorinePesticidesPediatrics
spellingShingle Pardis Nematollahi
Shekoofe Enayati
Karim Ebrahimpour
Saeed Yousefian
Alireza Moafi
Afshin Ebrahimi
Mohammad Mehdi Amin
Sina Arabi
Roya Kelishadi
Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
Discover Public Health
Leukemia
Benzene
Organochlorine
Pesticides
Pediatrics
title Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
title_full Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
title_fullStr Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
title_full_unstemmed Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
title_short Association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
title_sort association of exposure to benzene compounds and organochlorine pesticides with pediatric acute leukemia
topic Leukemia
Benzene
Organochlorine
Pesticides
Pediatrics
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00809-x
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